Acid storage tank and the like



Dec. 12, 1950 P. J. WEBER, JR 2,534,188

ACID STORAGE TANK AND THE LIKE Filed om. 1a, 194s 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. n w /DH/UP J. WEBER JR.

\ N www A TTORNEK Dec. 12, 1950 P. J. WEBER, JR

ACID STORAGE TANK AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 18, 1948 vltr...

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INVENTOR. Pff/L1. /P J. WEBER JR.

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Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ACID STORAGE TANK AND THE LIKE Phillip J. Weber, Jr., Montebello, Calif.

Application October 18, 1948, Serial No. 55,160

7 Claims.

This invention relates to tanks, and particularly pertains to an acid storage tank and the like.

Heretofore it has been common practice to store acid and other corrosive liquids in wooden containers or tanks. These tanks for the most part have been held together by the use of metal stay rods or bolts. In actual practice it has been found that the acid or other liquid migrates to the bolts and causes them to become weakened by corrosion. It is desirable to utilize a wooden tank due to its simplicity in construction and cheapness of material. It is the principal object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a wooden tank structure which may be assembled and held together by suitable fastening means, the structure being so designed as to insure that the metallic parts will be isolated fro-m the corrosive liquid which is stored within the tank. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a wooden tank structure having details which will impart considerable strength to the walls.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a tank structure having a bottom and a plurality of elements joined together in a manner to form a wall, the device being further fitted with means for securing the upper and lower ends of said elements together and reinforcing them in a manner to form a strong wall assembly.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of an acid tank embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of the end of the tank as seen on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View of the side of the tank as seen on the line 3-3 oi Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view indicating the forces which act on the top and bottom rails on the side of the tank.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view in plan indin eating the top rail and showing the forces which act against this member under load or as a truss member to prevent the bulging of the sides of I the tank.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows the preferred form of the invention in a perspective view with sides I, ends 2, and a bottom 3. The sides are composed of suitable planks 4 placed edge to edge and held together by a clamping means, such as a top rail 5 and a bottom rail 6, with tie rods 'I and compression posts 8. The ends are composed of suitable planks 9 placed edge to edge and held together by a clamping means, such as a top rail It, a bottom end skid vI I, with tie rods I3, compression posts I5, and a bottom end sill I4. The bottom of the tank is composed of suitable planks I6 placed edge to edge and held in place by means of the bottom side rails B and bottom tie rods I1 which pass through the sides I at the bottom side rail 8 and underneath the tank, as shown in Fig. 3 at I8.

The edges of the planks 4, 9 and It are held in proper alignment by dowels I@ and sealed by splines 2G set in a suitable mastic 2 I.

The side top rail 5 is composed of a timber 22 laid dat and covered by a standard channel 23. The compression posts 3 are secured thereto by means of either a mortice and tenon, chucked or doweled joint 24. The lower ends ci the coinpression posts 8 are set on step 25 of a standard T section 2t which composes the bottom side rail 6 and is secured in place by means of the bottom tie rods I'I. The end top rail It is similar to the side top rail 5 with compression posts I5 set between the lower edge of the top rail II] and the upper edge of the bottom end skid II and are held in place by means of either a mortice and tenon, chucked or doweled joints 24 at both top and bottom. The bottom end skid il is notched at 2l on the interior face next to the end planks t to allow it to clear the tie rods I3 and iit snugly to the end 2.

The compression posts I5 are bored at the proper locations I5a to allow end horizontal tie rods 28 to pass through and tie the sides I securely to the ends 2 at the corners 29 oi the tank. Corner posts 3i! act as compression posts for the side I as well as bolt bearing rails to receive end tie rods 2S.

The bottom 3 of the tank is held securely in place by iitting into a side Croze 3l in side I and resting on intermediate sills 32 and tie rods I'I and is prevented from buckling by the fact that ends 2 set in a Croze 33 in the ends of bottom planks I5. The channels 23 of the top side rails 5 are coped at 34 to clear the channels of the end top rail IB and to allow the ends 2 to be tightened independently of the sides I. Intermediate bottom sills are secured to the tank by means of a lip 35 which iits over the interior step of the T section Z6. When the tank is properly tightened they are prevented from falling out and becoming lost in transit. However the length oi the lip 35 is such as to form a space pocket 3b in order not to hinder the sides from seating properly onto the shaped edge of the bottom 3.

The top rail channels 23 are equipped with lugs 31 to lag wooden cover pieces 38 in place in order to form a ilat upper working surface 39 at the top edge of the tank. These cover pieces 38 can be easily removed to tighten the vertical tie rods.

Figure 4 shows a diagrammatic vertical section of the side wall forces acting on the top and bottom rails of the tank. P5 indicates the force in tie rods l in tension. P4 and P3 indicate balancing compression r`forces asproduced in the side planks and compression posts by the tension of tie rods l. Pivot points afand lyof the top and bottom rails are noted as being on the line of force of tie rods 1, indicating,r that the" pression posts and the built-upr'width of theside planks.

Figure 5 shows a diagrammatic View of the top rails when the tank is full, as noted by forces P, denoting. the.- tank contentsf and .the balancing forces Ps which counteract'the tank ;load.` In this case loads Piarefcounteractedcby the` re sistance to `bending action ofthe top.rail 5`and transmitted equally to thesetof :horizontal tie rodsat the ends of the tank or as tension `value P6.` In thecase of the endy top rail. the vforces P1 are-offset vbythe resistance to .shear'parallel to grain of the chimes of the side planks. at the Chime l2.

When Athe tank structure is assembled as dis-V closed in the drawings it is `ready to be filled with acid or other liquid and. will have-the desirable functions previously f described.

It will thus be seen that the tank `heregshown is simple in'construction, may be easily assembled; and that 'the elements hold 'the parts oil-the tank ina manner to resist the weight exerted'by the liquid: contained in the tank and in amanner to preventicorrosion of. the metalliczparts used `to fasten the-tank.

While I have shown'the preferred form of my invention as now'known'to me, it will be understoodthatvarious changes may be made in com-y bination, construction andV arrangement of parts by-those skilled in the art, without departing from. the spirit of theinvention'as claimed;

Having thus described myinvention, what I claimaand .desire to secure by Letters r-Patent is:

1. A tank structure comprising top rails extending the full length ofthe sides thereof, lower rail 'parallel-to the toprails and coextensive therewith, intermediate wall sections, compression posts disposed-between the top railV and the lower rail and interlockingv therewith, and tieA rods parallel to the compression posts secured through the top rail and the lower rail.

A ftank structure comprising; afbottom wall, a side. wall formed'of aplurality of planksplaced edge :to edge and joinedltogether, top rails of channel shape extending theY fullv lengt-h of the sidesthereof, the legs of whichextend downwardly, one leg extending along the inner face ofv the wall and fthe-outer leg spacedl therefrom,l a lower .rail'of T-shape parallel to andcoextensive withV each top rail, the-center webV lying against the wall structure vwhile the inner lower leg extends inwardly along the wall structure and the oDpOs-ite'lower-leg extends outwardly from the web, a post, the upper end of which -interlocks with the upper rail, and the lower end of which rests against the web of the lower rail section, and a tie bolt extending downwardly along the outer face of the wall and being secured through the upper and lower rails intermediate the wall and the posts.

3. The structure of claim 2 including a second tie bolt extending beneath the iioor and through the lower wall T section and post.

4. A tank structure of wooden type comprising .a oorvformed of a plurality of planks spaced edge to edge and side walls comprising a plurality of planks spaced edge to edge, the edges of said planks being splined together, a side croze formed in the lowermost plank of the side wall structure and receiving the ends of the floor planks, a metallic'bottom rail extending the full length of eachtside wallY formed by a T-Shaped structural element, one leg of which extends horizontally beneath the wall and the web of which extends vertically against the flat face of the wall, artopzrailzextending the fulllength of each side wall formedbyiachannel-shaped structural .element fitting downwardly over the upper edge of the wall'y posts disposed atV spaced intervals throughout the length'of the side walls, the upper ends vof said posts interlocking with the channeled toprail and the lower ends of said posts resting against the outermostfaces of the T-shaped lower rail', tie bolts passingthrough the lower ends of the posts andthe lower rail to secure the posts inposition, and vertical tie bolts extending .downwardly through the channel-shaped upper rails to hold theposts in position and the rails of the side walls in their joined'relationship.`

5. A wall construction for wooden tanks comprising in combination; a plurality of interlocked longitudinally extending planks, a top rail engaging the topmosty plank and coextensive with said plank, a bottom rail engaging the lowerrnost plank' and coextensive with said plank, a compression post `between said top rail and said bottom rail, and an intermediate tie rod extending between said top rail and said bottom rail and engaged therewith between the planks and the compression post.

fAwall construction as set forth in claim 5 in which both of said rails include metallic beams having transversely extending portions engaging the-topand bottomredges of the planks and extending outwardly therefrom to engage the compression post.

'7. A wall construction as set forth in claim 5 in which' the top rail lincludes a channel beam which receives thetop edge of the planks and extends outwardly therefrom to receive the top end of the compression post and in which the bottom rail includesva Tlshaped beam, one flange of which receives the lower edge of the planks while the other flange extends outwardly to receive the lower end of the compression post.

PHILLIP J.v WEBER, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 193,714 Klein July 31, 1877 1,857,560 Lewis May 10, 1932 2,120,716l Shriver June 14, 1938 

